Bluegrass returning to Sugarloaf stage

CHILLICOTHE - The sounds of bluegrass music will fill the hills of the Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre once again with performances from Larry Sparks and Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out Sunday.

The concert comes as part of the Live On The Mountain Bluegrass series from the Scioto Society.

“Last year, we had Ralph Stanley and this year Larry Sparks. There aren’t two more legendary American musicians still touring today. His double bill with Grammy Winners Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out will be a highlight of our season," Brandon Smith, CEO of the Scioto Society, said in a release.

Both Sparks and Moore said it's their first show at Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, and are looking forward to performing for the audience, and hope to draw some new fans.

"We try to reach new people. Many people come into this music because they've heard this song or that song. It just takes one song in their life," Sparks said.

Sparks started his career in the 1960s playing the guitar with the Stanley Brothers, eventually becoming lead vocalist for Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. Sparks formed his own band, The Lonesome Ramblers, in 1969. Since then, he has toured for more than 40 years, released more than 60 albums, was recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Association as Male Vocalist of the Year, and was inducted into several halls of fame, including the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Fame in October.

"I'm very honored to have it. There's a lot of hard work in anything you do. ... I've got 52 years of work and seeing those white lines roll underneath me. I feel like my music has spoken for itself and the people who listen to it have spoken," Sparks said.

His 50th-anniversary album was released in August 2014, and he does not plan to stop now.

Early in his career, Sparks worked with the late Ralph Stanley, who played at Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre in 2015. Now, he is trying to keep the music that brought them together alive.

"We have a world full of people who know this music and a world full of people that don't, and we need to educate them," Sparks said.

The style struck a chord with both Sparks and Moore early in life.

For Moore, it was the warm, rich, acoustic tones and how approachable the people playing them were that drew him in. For Sparks, the connection was natural. He said he feels called to sing and play bluegrass music.

"It's a natural way for me to sing and play," Sparks said. "The is music is so real, sort of a natural real music. ... It just touched me, I liked the feel of the music. I naturally just fell into it."

Moore's interest in genre started in his teenage years, and by his early 20s he was a member of Southern Connection. He later played guitar for Doyle Lawson and his band, Quicksilver — who previously performed in the 2016 Live On The Mountain Bluegrass series June 19 — for six years. But he wanted to strike out on his own, so he and two other band-mates set out to make a name for themselves. They named their new group IIIrd time out, for the number of bands they had previously been in, according to the band's website.

Since then, Moore has received several Male Vocalist of the Year honors from the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the band has earned many Vocal Group of the Year awards.

Although he is the only remaining original member of the group, Moore said other members have been there for more than 20 years, but still enjoys celebrating the milestone of 25 years since the group was first formed in May 1991.

"It's an awesome feeling. You might wonder where time has gone but more than anything, you start to reminisce," Moore said.

If you go....

What: Larry Sparks With Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, 5968 Marietta Road

Tickets: $17.50 in advance, online or by phone at 740-775-0700, $22.50 day of show. VIP tickets are $42.50. Current military and veterans tickets will cost $10. Tickets for children 6 years old or younger are free with the purchase of one adult ticket.